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Pakistan to test Zimbabwe in ODIs

The three-match series between the two teams will start from Wednesday.

Bulawayo: After thumping Zimbabwe in the one-off Test match, Pakistan will look to maintain the winning momentum in the limited-over series starting here on Thursday.

The visitors, riding on some useful performances from both their batsmen and bowlers, beat the home side by seven wickets.

The form of their top order batsmen - Mohammad Hafeez (119), Azhar Ali (75), Younis Khan (88) and Misbah-ul-Haq (66), who were amongst the runs in the Test - will be crucial for them.

And the way their off-spinner Saeed Ajmal foxed the Zimbabwe batsmen, he could well be the ace Pakistan hold over their opponents.

It will also be an opportunity for Pakistan to put some new faces through their paces. They already gave Sohail Khan (right-arm medium fast), Junaid Khan (left-arm medium fast) and Aizaz Cheema (right-arm-medium fast) opportunities to make their mark in the Test.

The 32-year-old Cheema was the pick of them, as he claimed eight wickets - four wickets in each innings – during his outing.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, paid the price of taking the new-look Pakistan side lightly.

Except opener Tino Mawoyo, none of their batsmen showed the same form they displayed in the preceding series against Bangladesh.

Mawoyo played an unbeaten century (163) in the first innings, while an experienced Tatenda Taibu played a lone hand of 58 in their second essay.

The bowling of the home side too looked ordinary. Their spinners - Ray Price and Greg Lamb - did a better job than their pace bowlers, but they were unable to trouble the Pakistan batsmen on a consistent basis.

Zimbabwe should also give special emphasis to their fielding as they grassed too many catches at key moments.